Report on PROCMURA Conference
We write to inform you that the PROCMURA landmark conference on Religion and Conflict Prevention/Management Peace Building and Reconciliation for Christian and Muslim leaders in Eastern Africa was very successful.
Dear Partners and Friends of PROCMURA (Programme for Chrisitan-Muslim Relations in Africa),
We write to inform you that the PROCMURA landmark conference on Religion and Conflict Prevention/Management Peace Building and Reconciliation for Christian and Muslim leaders in Eastern Africa was very successful.
The Speaker of the National Assembly of Tanzania, the Honourable Samuel Sitta gave a brilliant speech in which he, among other things, acknowledged the importance of PROCMURA in the continent in the area of building bridges of understanding between Christians and Muslims. The Guest Speaker, His Excellency Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, former Secretary General of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) now African Union (AU) outlined conflict areas and causes of conflicts in Africa. As the special envoy of the African Union mediating team in the Darfur crises, he laid bare issues in Darfur, Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Burundi, among others, which he clearly indicated how the Christian and Muslim leaders could team up to work towards peace and reconciliation.
We will, in the comprehensive report that we are preparing attach as appendices all the papers that were presented during the conference.
As you wait to receive the report, please find attached a communiqué issued after the conference. The communiqué has been passed on to leaders of Churches and Mosques, and to governments in Eastern Africa. The media (TV, Radio and national papers) in Tanzania aired the proceedings daily. Some of you may already have read about the conference in the international media.
We write in this manner due to our excitement about the success of the conference and the impact it had. On a more sober note, as we thank God for the success of the conference, we would like to express our profound gratitude to TrustAfrica and KerkinActie for providing finances for the conference. TrustAfrica provided the bulk sum of the finances, and just two weeks before the conference we realised that rise of fuel prices was making us to run a deficit. We appealed to KerkinActie and they immediately came to our aid and made up for the projected shortfall.
Before we conclude, may I kindly ask you to remember us as we plan for the following major events planned for this year and early next year.
1. From October 8 to 13, PROCMURA shall lead a delegation of Christian and Muslim leaders from Nigeria, Ghana, mainland Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Kenya to meet Christian and Muslim leaders from Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, among others. The conference, which is sponsored by Danmission and hosted by the Anglican Communion of Cairo, is aimed at exchanging practical ideas of how Christian-Muslim relations are like in the two distinct areas within the continent.
2. In November, PROCMURA will have a week-long seminar for church leaders in Madagascar to assist them in their quest to witness to Christ in an interfaith environment of Christians and Muslims, and at the same time build bridges of understanding between Christians and Muslims in the Indian Ocean country. You will recall that a similar seminar was held by CEVAA and PROCMURA in Madagascar earlier this year. The upcoming seminar promises to broaden in outlook than the previous one. Danmission will sponsor this seminar.
3. PROCMURA at AACC General Assembly: Plans are in place for PROCMURA to have a forum and a platform at the AACC General Assembly, which is coming on in Maputo, Mozambique in December. We will be given the opportunity to make series of presentations in various workshops with diverse themes and have almost a five-hour session at plenary to present PROCMURA to the Assembly.
The opportunity is given to us on account of the AACC vision for the future, which has enabled it to pass on issues of interfaith relations to PROCMURA to carry out in all its constituencies. We at the Central Office, our Regional Coordinators, and key actors in PROCMURA are diligently preparing and looking forward to exploit the opportunity to the fullest.
4. PROCMURA to break new ground and revive its influence in the Sudan: Following the invitation extended to PROCMURA to play a key role at Lambeth Conference in the area of Christian-Muslim relations, I facilitated 4 workshops at Lambeth. During the conference NIFCON held discussions with me about the possibility of organising a conference for Church leaders in the Sudan on Christian-Muslim relations. We held series of meetings with Sudanese bishops and finally agreed that such a conference should come on in February next year. Participants shall be drawn from all churches that belong to the Sudan Council of Churches. The venue of the conference will be in Southern Sudan. NIFCON will sponsor the conference.
Please remember us for what we have been able to do, and pray with us so that the upcoming main events and others which we have not mentioned in this mail will be successful.
With very kind regards.
Johnson Mbillah